The River Ran Red
by Danirat
Summary: Not TOTALLY a Frankenstein story, it's actually an original Steampunk story that I really wanted to post here. It's from my website - /noxtaislinn


Cursing the night Sky, Maylene stumbled through the woods. She was hurting bad from the phosphorus round that nearly burnt a hole in her side. Her mind kept telling her to stop and rest but the beast inside her told her otherwise. wounds heal death doesn't she told herself as she brambled onward towards the now dead pack's hideout.

The hide out was a old run down cabin near the town of Suwanee. Most of the first floor had no walls or ceiling for that matter, in the back near the kitchen was a small trap door that lead to the basement. Maylene struggled with the padlock on it for a second trying to turn in the combination with slick blood on her hands. Even with her regeneration the wound would kill her if she didn't get patched up quick enough. With a tiny click of acknowledgment the padlock let loose and fell to the floor. She then grabbed the sunken-in handle and pulled it open with a slight creak escaping from the hinges.She quickly looked around, checking to make sure she couldn't hear any hound dogs coming and then plunged into the darkness of the basement.

She landed with a soft thunk upon packed dirt floor, less graceful as she had hoped, but the bleeding was making her light headed so she wasn't exactly in the sharpest state of mind. Maylene searched her pockets looking for her match box, finding it along with tender in her torn up jacket's front pocket. She struck the match against her boot heel and held it towards the tender, lighting up the room and shewing the darkness away for moment. She had just enough time to crawl over to a oil lamp conveniently placed on a empty box of ammunition across from where she landed.By the time the tender was fluttering out she had the oil lamp lit and was taking a short breather.

"God damn those snaggle toothed blood suckers" she cursed grabbing at her side. The bleeding was slowing down but before relief hit her, she realized she was getting cold. She struggled to her knees and began to scour the small basement room knocking over various boxes of ammo and moonshine trying to find the emergency bag she had stashed here from a raid not a day before the massacre that had happened tonight.

The small well worn leather bag was laying on it's side slightly pinned down by one of the moonshine boxes she had knocked over minutes earlier. She popped it open and began to stifle through it's contents:a few hypodermic shots of adrenaline, a thermometer, bandages, disinfecting alcohol, aspirin and apparently a packaged Venus glove. funny of what people think are essential supplies these days she scoffed as she tossed the condom aside. She pocketed the adrenaline syringes and started applying the bandages to her wound, now merely trickling. Though she was healing quickly with out protection the wound would open back up or worse become infected.

After she had finished patching herself up, Maylene took a breather. She opened one of the boxes of moonshine and began sipping from one of the mason jars of Georgia Moon Corn Whiskey. The copper tainted fluid danced across her tongue, it wasn't the best tasting stuff but it did it's job well and soon Maylene began to feel warm and relaxed.She sat down legs sprawled out with her back against the dirty dry-wall and tried to recall all that had happened that night.

--

Redford muttered beneath his breath about that damned werewolf bitch and her lot as he crawled his way up the far side of the riverbank. He fell back and looked across the water at the damage the two had caused, bodies strewn about like a child's toy soldiers. He coughed, a thick cough that brought up blood and water. He was pretty sure the bitch was dead, taken out by the barrage of bullets and fire that had come upon her. Their many tiny battles had come to this, their Gettysburg, a final wave of destruction on the river bank.

The vampire was nearly gone. His arms and legs were burnt to muscle and bone. Were he any less of a creature he wouldn't have survived, would be relegated to nothing more than fish food. Instead he lay on the bank, trying to breathe with soaked lungs. His legs hurt the worst, he could actually see the sinew of his tendons as he tried to move backwards and get further up the bank. That bitch had better be dead, or she would rue the very day she was born. Not only had she taken out some of his men, but she had killed his Bloodhounds. Nothing drew more ire out of Redford than someone who hurt his dogs. He growled, deep and low, and started digging in the sand with his burnt hands. He knew there was no way to get somewhere safe before dawn, so he would have to bury himself in the earth in order to survive. He had done such things before, and he would do them again.

His fingernails quickly reached thick Georgia mud, the red clay that gets into everything and never comes out. He didn't give a damn, just wanted to be in the earth and safe from the hell that would be the sun to his already ravaged body. At full health he could survive the sun's rays, but in his current state it would be the death of him. He kept digging, ignoring the searing pain in his limbs that the sand caused. It was necessity, survival. The time he spent digging, he would have to look back and revisit the events that brought him to this miserable point.

--

(Earlier that night)

The night started like every other raid night, with the pack gathered around a table in the bar. The map was spread about the table for all to see. Points of interest skewed about with icons. The Alpha, Jonas Adams stood across from Maylene. She was the second in command and his fiancé through an arranged marriage, She wasn't too keen on it but it had been he father's last will, to continue the line.

"Okay listen up you ragabashins', Tonight is like every other night. Wam bam thank ya maim." Jonas said as he pointed to the Boat on the map that was represented by a green triangle."Now a gang of Irishmen were wiped out the other night by Redford's men here" he said pointing to another spot on the map."As far as we know that's where they still are, so we shouldn't even see them for another week."

"And if we do it'd be their biggest mistake!"one of the weres boasted, followed by few cheers from the others.

"CAN IT." Jonas said raising his voice, the pack quickly subdued. "When we get there; Ronnie and Eastman got Guard duty in front, I've got the escape route as usual, Maylene you got the engine room, and the rest draw straws for the levels"

He then held out a hand with straw ends sticking out and had the rest of the pack draw."Drink up you mutts we head out in Fifteen"

After a few complaints and straw stealings everything was set, but Maylene couldn't help but feel like something was different. Jonas seemed more agitated than usual.She waited till he stepped out-side for a smoke to confront him.

When she got outside she found him on the edge of porch smoking a cigarette, she sensed a different smell than his usual taste of tobacco. "What's that yer smoking darlin'?" She asked stepping up from the shadows. He jumped a bit, startled that's never a good sign

"Oh..it's you" he said looking a little relived "This? Just trying on of them northern brands the niggers keep talking about." He took another puff and moved his hand toward her. "Care to sample it?"

She waved his hand off with hers,"You know I'd never be caught dead with that shit, where'd you get it anyways?" She asked

He took yet another puff and then looked back at her "From the last boat we hit, I skimmed a little off the top, what's it to ya?" he said in the same agitated tone he had earlier. She put her hands up in a defensive matter "Whoa there, why you so touchy all of a sudden?" she scoffed. "Don't get all puffy on me woman, I got a head ache, and you aint helpin'.. leave me be" he shoed her off with his hand.

"Tsh fine,ass" She stomped off "I heard smokin' like a chimney helps"she said snarlingly, hurt by "her husband to be"'s attitude.She knew something was up but she figured it'd come out after the raid. Maylene haded back into the bar where the rest of the back was drinking playing cards nervously waiting the Alpha's order to head out. Minutes ticked by like hours. Finally the doors swung open and Jonas gave them the call.

"Pack Move out!"

--

(Also earlier that evening.)

Redford leaned back in his favorite chair, glad that they had chosen to use his plantation home for the meeting before their ambush on Jonas Adam's werewolf pack. They had been wiping out werewolf packs like they were nothing, tiny ant colonies smashed beneath their boots. He puffed on a pipe, enjoying the thrill before the madness he knew he was going to see.

His vampire cohorts were there, several men that he had handpicked to be his werewolf extermination team. There were vampire women about too, lovers of his men and women who wanted to be their lovers. Redford had two women, a Chinese one and a girl from New York. The Chinese vampiress sat beside him, and beside her, a human man. She had used little razors to draw his blood into a wine glass, which she handed to Redford.

He smiled and raised the glass to his lips, drinking the blood before it got cold. There was nothing worse than cold blood. His appetite somewhat sated, he whistled for his men to draw near.

"Tonight we are taking on one of the more dangerous packs. I have encountered them before, and they are not to be underestimated. Keep your eyes on the female, the blond Beta. She's a real pistol, and she's not afraid to do crazy things in order to take as many of us out as she feels she needs to."

The vampire leader grinned and scratched at his chin. "Luckily for us, their Alpha has sold them out. Jonas Adams decided his own hide meant more to him than the livelihood of his pack. After we mow down his friends and family, we're going to take him out as well. We want a world without their filth, not a world with a few sissy, backstabbing ones surviving."

Standing, went over to the wall where there was a chalkboard. He drew the location of the dock, and where they would come over the hill to ambush the unsuspecting werewolf pack.

"Not only do we have Jonas helping us, but there are QueJin aboard the ship. Asian vampires, arranged by my lovely lady Mei here," he said, nodding toward his Chinese lover. She nodded her head to him and the two shared a very private moment, their eyes locked. Breaking his gaze, he returned his attention to the task at hand.

"We'll strike soon. If you're hungry, there will be werewolf blood to feast upon tonight. Everyone remember the plan?" As he asked, the vampires all nodded in affirmation.

Redford stood and gave Mei a kiss on the cheek, going down to the kennels to get his dogs. He had two Bloodhounds and two German Shepherds, wonderful dogs that would help do what needed to be done. They would run alongside him on his steed, and when they came over the hill the fear they would inspire would be great.

Mounting his horse, his heart racing, the anticipation was mounting to great heights.

--

The horse-back ride to forest in front of the Ogeechee river was a quite one. The alpha's unusual timidness put the whole pack on edge. Jonas stayed mounted as everyone got off their horses,checked their armaments and made sure that their backbacks had no holes.

"Remember everyone, nothing more than you can carry and no lingering, get in get whatever you can and go. And this time just kill anyone that gets in your way we don't have time for fun." he said gruffly his horse stepping from side to side. "I'm off to secure the escape route, in six minutes I want Robertson to pick off the tow dock guards, he always had a better aim." Why isn't he picking me? Maylene thought to her self, hurt by her Fiancé's decision.

"Sir if I may.." she was silenced by a wave of his hand "Rule one" and then he was off into the night. The rest of the pack looked at her the same amount of bafflement on their faces. She couldn't believe how different he was being, what could be getting him so bent out of shape? She couldn't even fathom the anger that was building inside of her from his change. Save it for the bastards on the boat she thought.

Maylene had gotten a position with Robertson a knoll sitting on the tree line of the docks. on pulled out a pair of Porro prism binoculars. Though the lens the two guards looked normal enough, a couple of local farmers with free time no doubt, armed with only Winchester rifles. She stole a peak from Robertson, jealous he was getting the opening shots. By all means she wasn't worried about Robertson's ability, he had nearly compared to her own aside from his speed being the only advantage, he hesitated too much. Looking back into the Binoculars Maylene scanned the steamboat.

The boat it's self was of a modified standard design, albeit a bit larger than the last few the pack had raided. It had 4 floors instead of three and what seemed like a Gatling gun turret fitted on the railing of the 3rd deckthey're finally starting to get worried of pirates eh? Maylene thought to her self. A slight vibration in her pocket let her know that the escape route was clear and it was time for the first shots.

--

Redford and his men rode in silence, knowing that werewolves had astonishing hearing, and would be able to hear their voices. They rode slowly, knowing that they had a fair amount of time before they needed to be there. When they reached the hill just behind the docks, Redford held up his hand to signal his men. They all stopped and waited for the werewolf alpha, the traitor, to come to them. He came over the hill and approached Redford, looking around cautiously at the vampires.

"I've told them everything is secure, they're already on their way into the ship," he said, staring up at Redford on his horse. Redford nodded his head and looked over at his cohort leading a carriage. The carriage was drawn around, to the left of the hill. That way the werewolves wouldn't be able to run off that way in the woods. Besides that, there was a gatling gun hidden in the back of the carriage.

"Now we wait, Jonas, we wait and when I give the command we will walk over the hill. You follow just behind us, I want to see the look on your bitches' face when she realizes that you betrayed her," Redford said with a wicked smile on his face.

Many of Redford's men dropped off of their horses, taking them to a nearby tree and tying them up there. It would be easier to get closer on foot, circle around the right side of the hill and have the werewolves exiting the ship completely surrounded. Redford watched in anticipation, his bloodlust mounting.

--

Maylene patted Robertson's shoulder signaling the beginning of the raid. Robertson fired two shots from his repeating carbine, both claiming their marks as the two guards dropped from head shots. She couldn't see any commotion aboard the boat, which was weird but she didn't let her hesitation ruin their shock window. She got up and drawled her two colts. "Charge!!" she yelled running towards the dock, Robertson struggling to keep up in her wake.

The rest of the pack poured out from the tree line, some howling in excitement others as silent as death.Maylene was the first to make it on to the boat she still couldn't see anyone as the rest of the pack got on and split off. She started towards the engine room as she heard doors being kicked in by the pack. I hope this goes easy, please let it be easy she thought as she made it to the engine room. The door was different from the rest, while the others were wood, this was steel with Chinese gibberish on it. She holstered the gun in her right hand, grabbed the handle and gave it yank, despite it's weight the door creaked open to revel two china men working on the steam engine. She moved into the room with her gun cocked, the two workers not noticing her over the loud hum on the engine.

Maylene got closer to the two workers and readied her gun."下拉的和到的天空，将快速!!" She yelled in their native language telling them to drop their shovels and reach the sky. The two men turned around and glared at her. Maylene's heart dropped at the golden glare of their eyes, something wasn't right those can't be human eyes. A scuffle broke out on the floor above her distracting her for a second as she looked up, as she did the two chinamen sprung at her.

If Maylene had been a human she wouldn't of never saw them coming, lucky for her she wasn't your average southern belle. She recognized what was happening as she felt adrenaline pour into her as she dove backwards on instinct as one of the two men landed where she was only a second before, the other merely a blurred shape or teeth and claws directly above her coming down fast. Her trigger and hammer fingers danced their wicked dance on the colts back end, shots disappearing into the form above, then through it and into the ceiling with to her surprise no crimson trails following. Before she knew it claws were coming at her face from all directions, Maylene did the only thing she felt she could do a the time and that was a swift and solid kick upwards.

Her boot succeeded where her bullets had failed, the kick sending the monster wheeling backwards into the coal intake of the engine. A piercing howl over rang out over the hum of engine as the shape of the chinaman disappeared in the flames of his own demise. Getting up from the floor the other worker's face was twisted with rage, fangs peaking out from a row a shark teeth. Maylene now was able identify her assailants, what the fuck are Que Gin doing on-board?!

The remaining Que gin angry from failure of the surprise attack rushed towards her with his claws aiming for her neck. Maylene quickly dodged to the side allowing him to run head on into a collection of cogs that where helping to turn the energy converter. The demon howled the same howl like his partner before as he was pulled into the formation of cogs and gears.

Making sure the rest of the room was clear she reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a cylindrical device. It was called a flip switch timed pipe bomb, a stout copper tube sealed on both sides and filled with nitroglycerin. On one end was what looked like a switch cover but in truth was the actual switch. The switch once flipped back to it's maximum time took 15 minutes to return to it's original spot which then triggered the explosion, the shorter distance it was pulled back the shorter the fuse.Maylene pulled the switch all the way back and then put it down on the floor. She then rushed over the communications horn "THE CREW'S ALL QUE GIN WATCH OUT" she yelled up it. She then multiple responses back. All at once it was hard to hear over the damn engine but it seemed like everything was going to hell with whelps here and they followed by more howls and battle cries; what had been a simple raid was now a fight for the pack's life.

Maylene stepped out of the engine room, listening to the sounds of fighting above her. She made her way back to the first floor, as she got to the door leading out onto the deck she flipped both of her guns around and held them by the barrels, since bullets couldn't hurt them she'd have to put up with makeshift clubs for now. Blood was everywhere she recognized the scent of some of the pack mixed in with the nasty smell of the Que Gin. A loud crash erupted from the floor above as two howling fire ridden forms plunged off the side of the ship crashing into the the boarding bridge. She rushed over to see a Werewolf and three Que gin face down in the water. Damn it, if only we knew before she cursed. She checked her pocket watch 9 minutes till the place goes up in flamesshe though as she put the watch back into the front coat pocket.

Maylene checked to make sure that this level was still empty as she noticed that the fighting above had died down. She dropped the messenger bag and brought out the remainder of it's contents. The condition this boat is in, only one bomb is going to sink it she thought as she took the last two pipe bombs in a hidden nook of her jacket just above the small of back, typically it had a metal plate to stop bullets but the Que gin didn't use guns.She reached across the outside of the jacket to make sure the budges the bombs made weren't too obvious. A noise from behind startled her. He rose quickly her make-shift clubs ready to swing.

"Hey now! We ain't no chinks!" a familiar voice cried.

She recognized it was Hudson,a younger were that had come from one of the wiped out packs from Tennessee and with him was Lewis one of her old buddies from Sunday church. Both were tattered and blooded but still in decent shape. Hudson was carrying a double barrel shotgun and Lewis was brandishing a pipe smudged with crimson bits.

"Man I never thought I'd be happy to see you guys" Maylene said trying to hide how relived she was with a smile. "You're telling me!" Hudson said reloading his gun,"Fuckers don't take any bullets so I emptied shell casings of the buckshot and with little pieces of splintered wood."

"The upstairs are cleared and but no else other than me, Hudson, Clark, Joe made it, they popped up everywhere and Robinson panicked" Lewis said as he peered over the side of the boat. "Poor bastard jammed handkerchiefs in whiskey bottles and stared throwing them about but got all he did was get himself dog piled with flaming chink vamps. Clark and Joe went over the side of the boat and are swimming to the shore" he said pointing out to two figures bobbling in the water. And then as if almost on cue a loud noise erupted from the treeline. The two figures in the water became a series of eruptions in the water.

"What the hell is that?!" Maylene cried as she stood there frozen in terror.

--

"Goddammit I didn't say to shoot them! We want more of an element of surprise, you damned idiots!" Redford screamed, backhanding the vampire nearest him. The vamp fell off his horse and the creature spooked, running off into the distance. He stood up and brushed the dirt off of himself, going toward the left side of the hill with the gunner.

Rearing his horse back he rode up over the hill and waved for his cavalry to follow. They started to follow, riding up over the hill and standing beside their leader. Jonas waited behind, as ordered, to really give Redford the show he wanted. He wanted to see the look on Maylene's face when she realized her own fiancee had sold her out. He wanted to see the anger and the fear and the resentment build up on her features. She was so beautiful, but he found her all the more beautiful when she was angry. There was a rage that build up inside her that made her so gorgeous, so perfect.

"They'll be coming off the ship any moment, and I want to have a few words with their Alpha's bitch. With Jonas' here's bitch. I want to enjoyfinally winning this fight," he said, loading his Luger.

"And I swear to God, the Devil, and Jesus Christ himself that if ANYONE kills Maylene instead of me, I will rip their throat out with my bare hands," he warned. Maylene was his, his to fight and kill.

--

Maylene and co. where hiding on board the ship, Hudson had dragged her into cover. Now the Gatling gun was silent, she could hear arguing and horses coming closer. She tried to pick out voices from the arguing and then one shouted over the rest.. REDFORD.. "Sonofabitch that's Redford!" she exclaimed rage coursing through her.

"The bastard is ambushing us" Hudson replied quietly "What are we going to do?, the Gatling gun has us pinned down so we can get swim to the shore!" Lewis said with panic. Maylene sat for a second. She checked her pocket watch "We have 5 minutes for an idea" she murmured thinking about possibilities and then it came to her.. the turret on the front bow... "I've got an idea, I'm going to cover you guys with the Gatling gun on this ship while you guys get across, but we need to get going now or we'll all be dead."

Hudson and Lewis got up and nodded obeying their beta. "We'll take care of 'em when we get ashore, don't linger or you'll miss all the fun." Lewis said grinning. The tow weres took off and lounged over board in almost perfect synchronicity. Maylene sprinted towards the front of the boat arriving in time to see the vampires approaching. She got up to the weapon, looked it over, set up it's sight and readied it. If this was to be her last stand she was going to make it messy as hell; she braced herself as she pulled the trigger.

--

"Boys, the party has started," Redford said as one of his men fell, riddled with bullets. He knew for damn sure that the vampire would get back up, they were much harder to kill than werewolves. The vampire company had made sure that all of their bullets were silver, the only metal that the werewolves couldn't just reject out of their flesh. Not only that, but the longer it stayed in their flesh, the sicker they got.

"MAYLENE!!" He screamed, waving to the werewolf woman on the ship. "How are you this fine evening? I was just taking a stroll with some of my men!" He said with a laugh, pointing his gun and aiming at her. He knew he wouldn't get a good shot from this far away, but at the very least he would get her down off the boat, get her to come fight him.

Two men dashed out at the vampires, changing into the werewolf war forms. Redford raised his gun and plugged each of them in the head, his aim never faltering. He was a damn good shot, and the werewolves had been charging right at him. As their blood and brains splattered backward, he looked up at Maylene and grinned.

"I've got a little surprise for you, sugarlump," he said, turning his head and looking back at Jonas. "C'mon now, you lily-livered bastard, come show your fiancee what you're really made of."

Jonas stepped over the hill, his head hung in shame. He hadn't anticipated that selling his pack out would feel this awful, that he would feel like such a shitheel. He finally raised his head but he couldn't look Maylene in the eye.

"Look Maylene, look what I have here. Jonas here told us that you were attacking this port, and I made sure my Que Jin buddies were waiting for you. I knew you were tough as nails though, so I thought I'd make sure and come down here and confirm the kill myself. Make sure you furry bastards were sent to your watery graves."

He laughed and smacked Jonas on the back of the head. "This little bastard sold you out, how does that feel, darlin?"

--

Maylene stopped shooting, what she saw was confusing, angering and just plain astonishing...she..she didn't know what to think. Her vision was going red, blood red. She howled, a long blood curling howl; if there was any actual curses in it, only dogs would now. She didn't know what to do, feel or say the only thing she could think was rage.She began to transform slightly with Her clothes were getting tight, but not quite ripping just yet as she pulled the Gatling gun off it's turret, the bullet belt waggling along her side.

The boat rocked as the pipe bomb detonated. The human side of Maylene let the beast know they had only seconds before the ship blew up. Informed of the situation, the beast bounded down to the first level of the ship and leap across the gap between the boat and pier. Landing in a tumble, the beast new she was deadly close to the company of vampires.With the boat going up in flame the beat recovered from the roll and raised the Gatling gun.

Now in a normal instance a few bullets wouldn't even make a vampire flinch, but a few hundred in close range would tear even the roughest skin into and that exactly what happened. The firs three vampire the beast had pointed the weapon at had been torn in half bay the stream of bullets, of of them being the Que Gin bitch Maylene had grown to despise. One of the other vampires got a lucky shot on her but the bullet merely went through her chest and out the back. Howling she pointed the stream in his direction and he too suffered the slicing hot flow of steal. The beast pushed forward growing aware that the sources of her rage, Redford and Jonas where not among the dead and that the Gatling gun was beginning to singe the flesh on her hands from over heating.

Dropping the near molten gun, the beast began to let her claws do the dirty work.While still remaining in her human like size and appearance, being covered in vampire blood still led to Maylene being seen in a near demonic state. She howled as she tore through the remaining vampires; faces, torsos, appendages becoming nothing but weapons or grapefruit in her rage. After awhile Maylene and the beast both realized there were no more vampires left standing in the immediate area, the beast subsided leaving Maylene to pick up the pieces.


End file.
